What’s the best way to arrive in Germany as a new employee from abroad? For relocation managers like Bettina Stamm-Müller, that’s a crucial question. And she knows the perfect answer: “It’s best to smile and say: ‘Hello, I’m new here.'”

She learnt this from an Indian who participated in one of her workshops. His experience: When you mumble this sentence in a somewhat understandable German, you receive a friendly welcome. Whether at work or in public offices, whether in the supermarket or at a ticket vending machine: Germans like it, when you try to say something in their language. They like friendly people, they are cosmopolitan and helpful.

Malt & more for Namibia | logistik aktuell

Namibia produces international quality beer using hops and malt from Germany. The shipments are managed by DB Schenker’s subsidiary there, based in Windhoek.

logistik-aktuell.com

However, if you really want to get settled in the Federal Republic, it is not done with just a smart line. More and more companies are recruiting skilled workers abroad, who then face many challenges. DB Schenker brings together IT specialists from India, sea and air freight experts from Singapore and logistics specialists from Shanghai. “Especially in the Asian region, our company recruits indispensable reinforcement,” says Stamm-Müller. She has worked for DB Schenker for almost three decades, including 8 years in Relocation Management, for which there has been a separate department since 2014.

Starting point for new employees from far away

Before people can apply their professional expertise to their new professional lives, they must arrive in their new home and get oriented. This is exactly why DB Schenker founded Relocation Management: a point of contact for newcomers who need to enroll their kids in elementary school, who are looking for a place to live and who have a lot of official bureaucracy to deal with.

Relocation management begins long before anyone signs an employment contract and packs their bags in their home country. Often the courted employees along with their partner or families are invited on a multi-day taster tour around Germany. They get to know their new workplace, and they get an idea of how the people in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Hamburg tick – or wherever they might settle later. “For many, we are something like the first friends in the foreign country,” says Stamm-Müller.

Bettina Stamm-Müller, Relocation Manager, DB Schenker

“It’s best to smile and say: ‘Hello, I’m new here.'”

The individual care takes about six months. There are about 100 people per year who receive help facing big and small challenges. There is above all the search for a fully furnished apartment. “Most people move without their furniture. They are looking for something affordable, if possible centrally located “, sums up Stamm-Müller. First, you have to find something suitable. Then the power supply gets set up. And how does the monthly ticket for the bus actually work? Anyone who finds himself at a closed store on Sundays soon realizes that shopping on the seventh day in Germany is tricky. Different countries, different opening hours.

In the weeks following the move, the actual familiarization follows, at the end of which relocation management is less and less in demand and gradually disengages. At some point, the new ones got used to their environment and say: I have arrived.

logistik-aktuell.com

Because that is the goal: to receive the new employees in such a way that they stay for years or forever. Some change from another DB Schenker location to Germany and are at least familiar with the corporate culture. Others have not had any contact with our company. You have to get used to both DB Schenker and Germany. “We also undertake relocation management on behalf of other companies,” says Stamm-Müller. “It does not matter what they do professionally. We focus our attention mainly on cultural integration. “The wishes, demands and concerns of bankers, IT specialists and logistics providers are identical. And sometimes a little too ambitious. Stamm-Müller speaks in this context of Expectation Management: “The expectations on Germany as a wealthy country are immensely high.” It is not uncommon that Stamm-Müller has to relativize the ideas of new employees.

“#Relocation Management of DB #Schenker helps foreign professionals to get settled in their new home.“

“Relocation management, as we understand it, is always personal,” says Stamm-Müller. The staff of her team call several nurseries to find a place, they organize first lessons in the music school and sometimes help apply for kindergarten or school.

Important Assistance: Cultural Awareness Workshops

In addition to the individual services, there are the Cultural Awareness Workshops with up to 20 newcomers of all kinds of nationalities. You can exchange experiences, compare the new with the old home and familiarize yourself with German customs such as carnival and Christmas markets. One or the other event needs some getting used to. But that’s precisely what relocation management is all about.

Contact:Bettina Stamm-Müller
bettina.stamm-mueller@dbschenker.com

What about you – would you go abroad for a longer period of time for your company?

In any case! Working abroad is personally enriching.

Maybe, but it depends very much on the "total package".

No, working in a different country is not an option for me.

DB Schenker at transport logistic in Munich

4-7 June – Hall B6, Booth 209/310

Satellite navigation has become an integral part of our everyday lives. When driving a car or when making deliveries, we now rely blindly on determining the position from space. Currently available are the systems GPS (USA) and GLONASS (Russia), while Galileo (Europe) and Beidou (China) are still under construction.

Research for the Future: This is the way the aerospace industry ensures worldwide mobility for tomorrow | logistik aktuell

logistik-aktuell.com

However, there are environments in which the satellite signal cannot be received – for example, in warehouses, forests, tunnels or mines. Here, only a tracking system that works without satellite can help. This is exactly what the Institute for Optical Sensor Systems of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) has developed: Integrated Positioning System (IPS) is the name of the solution that was awarded the Innovation Award Berlin Brandenburg at the end of 2018. It can precisely determine one’s own position without prior knowledge of the environment and without external reference points.

The human sense of direction as a model

As a model, the DLR engineers use the human sense of direction. They imitate the sense of sight and balance with the aid of a stereo camera and an inertial measuring unit that detects accelerations. It is also possible to connect additional sensors to the system. The sensor data are combined and then provide the position and the position in the room. And with astounding accuracy: IPS delivers in real time the location to 0.1 percent of the distance covered.

“With the system, for example, industrial plants or mines can be inspected, but also autonomous driving can be supported,” explains project manager Dr. Ing. Anko Börner from the DLR Institute of Optical Sensor Systems. In the future, systems such as IPS should play an important role in safety-relevant applications on Earth, but also in research missions on foreign planets. “They are in a sense the technical eye and provide comprehensive and valuable data,” said Börner. “Just as the eye is the most important sensory organ for humans, optical systems are the primary sensor for environmental detection of technical devices.”

The challenge of indoor navigation | logistik aktuell

The "Smart Transport Robot" has a clever solution for indoor navigation. Using SLAM, it maps its own environment and orientates itself independently.

logistik-aktuell.com

Possible applications in the logistics industry

Börner also sees applications in logistics: “Warehouses generally do not have GPS reception, and it can be very costly to equip them with WiFi antennas for navigation. With the IPS, it’s enough to just equip the vehicles with the technology – which is in many cases easier. “

In general, the need for such solutions in logistics is great. “The location of goods, people and material handling brings immense benefits: goods can be localized faster and the next available forklift can be determined automatically, and it is also possible to avoid collisions between man and machine,” says Thomas Reppahn, Head of Logistics Product and Process Management at Schenker Deutschland AG. “Since GPS does not work because of the lack of contact with the satellites, this deficiency has, so far, been solved with elaborate transmitters and appropriate sensors. Innovations in this area could lead to reduced investment in infrastructure and are very interesting. “

“#Positioning without the help of satellites: The @DLR_de das developed a #navigation system for buildings and mines. It is also suitable for #logistics, for example, in #warehouses.“

First pilots

There are already the first test applications of IPS, for example the DMT PILOT 3D for precise positioning and orientation, navigation and 3D documentation. The mobile handset is to be used in mining, ship inspection, construction and infrastructure projects, but also in forestry and surveying in seismology. In ship inspections, for example, it is used to take and automatically position inspection photos in a previously created 3D computer model of the ship.

DB Schenker at transport logistic in Munich

4-7 June – Hall B6, Booth 209/310

Innovative procedures in land transport: DB Schenker and its partners have successfully completed the first comprehensive pilot project on truck platooning. For nearly a year, the logistics specialist tested platooning in everyday operations with MAN Truck & Bus SE and the Fresenius University of Applied Sciences. Platoon is the name given to a vehicle system in which trucks on the highway drive very closely together with the aid of digital driver assistance and control systems in order to save fuel and relieve the driver. The special MAN trucks from DB Schenker have covered 35,000 kilometers of road in one year.

Prof. Dr. Sabine Hammer, Hochschule Fresenius

“During the project, the drivers quickly realized that the system works well and makes driving more relaxed.”

The test results show that the technology works and meets the expectations for more safety, more sustainability and higher efficiency. “With platooning, we can offer even more reliable and efficient transports,” said Alexander Doll, Chief Financial Officer, Freight and Logistics of Deutsche Bahn, at the presentation of the test results in the Federal Ministry of Transport. Joachim Drees, Chairman of the Board of Management of MAN Truck & Bus SE, added: “The system works reliably and can increase safety on the highway. Platooning is therefore an important step for us on the way to automation.”

The drivers adopt the technology

In addition to the technical aspects, the pilot experiment also had a social component. The University of Fresenius examined the psychosocial and neurophysiological effects on the drivers. It has been found that platoon driving is widely accepted by professional truck drivers. The live experience caused a significant change in the previously partly critical attitude of the drivers. “The drivers expected a series of negative scenarios such as accidents, reduced response times and other very stressful situations prior to the pilot test. But during the project, they quickly realized that the system works well and makes driving more relaxed,” said Prof. Dr. med. Sabine Hammer from the Institute for Complex Systems Research at the Hochschule Fresenius. “There was no situation that they described as uncontrollable.” As unpleasant, they perceived mostly merging vehicles from other road users.

Driving in the platoon - this is how it works | logistik aktuell

How does automated driving work? What is the human/machine relationship in platooning? DB Schenker invites you to take a ride in the cockpit of an 18-ton truck.

logistik-aktuell.com

40 percent of the general cargo network is suitable for platooning

After completing the pilot phase, the automakers and Deutsche Bahn want to further develop the subject. What helps DB Schenker is the fact that around a quarter of the connections in the general cargo network are operated several times a day. This would allow 40 percent of the miles driven to be used for platooning. It is possible, for example, to integrate the technology gradually into real traffic. But before truck platoons can drive on German roads, many conditions have to be met. These include, among others, toll concessions for more efficient platooning trucks, a more flexible driving and rest time for drivers who ride in the platoon or start-up financing for the purchase of the first truck. In addition, the technology must quickly be brought to series production maturity and the vehicles must receive corresponding approvals and road permits.

“#Platooning with a future: 40 percent of the general cargo network of DB Schenker is platoon-capable. #DBSchenker, #MAN_Group and #HS_Fresenius successfully complete pilot project. but how does it continue?“

The drivers who participated in the pilot for DB Schenker have now returned to regular service. “That was really a great experience,” says Andy Kipping, who drove several months on the Munich-Nuremberg route. He would immediately go back to driving in a platoon.

DB Schenker at transport logistic in Munich

4-7 June – Hall B6, Booth 209/310

]]>Follow the path of the customer. Automotive logistics at the Eching locationhttps://logistik-aktuell.com/2019/05/07/automotive_logistics_at_eching/
Tue, 07 May 2019 13:16:05 +0000https://logistik-aktuell.com/?p=12426

From Warehouse Eching in the north of Munich, DB Schenker supplies the production for the BMW Group in Munich. In almost 35 years, a trusting, finely tuned and efficient cooperation has developed. A stable partnership that is nevertheless characterized by high dynamics, continuous innovations and ever new steps in development.

Dedicated or shared warehousing? What matters is customer benefit

The DB Schenker Eching site was founded in 1985, specifically as a supply center for BMW Group production in Munich. The principle of Dedicated Warehousing offered and offers clear benefits. Areas, storage locations, warehousing facilities, services, transport concepts, IT architectures – all these can be tailored to meet customer needs. With growing experience and depth of cooperation processes can be developed in partnership to ever higher efficiency and quality.

The goal is stability. At the same time, cooperation between customers and logistics service providers is highly dynamic. “Dedicated is by no means synonymous with static,” says Jürgen Muckermann, head of the Eching Logistics office. “When it comes to long-term cooperation, as we do with BMW, it’s about growing with the customer in terms of quality, quantity and functionality. At the Eching location, for example, this is manifested in numerous investment-intensive modernization projects, which we carried out precisely to meet the customer’s growing requirements. What we are today is a joint venture between BMW and DB Schenker.”

Jürgen Muckermann, head of the Eching Logistics office of DB Schenker

And currently, a strategic supplement to the cooperation model of DB Schenker with the BMW Group is being implemented in the region. In addition to the Dedicated Warehouse, DB Schenker plans to develop shared logistics centers at several neighboring locations. There additional space and services are available for additional cooperation with the BMW Group or for other customers. In accordance with the principle of shared warehousing, customers benefit from the great flexibility in using the logistics resources.

Growing with the customer – milestones of Dedicated Warehouse Eching

The Eching supply center provides a good example of the successful development and growth of a customer-specific logistics location in close coordination with the customer. The following investments are among the milestones in the expansion of the site. In 2001 a first retrofit of the high-bay warehouse took place in 2011, whereby a significant increase in the performance of the stacker cranes was achieved by upgrading the control and drive technology. In the current expansion stage, the four-aisle HRL offers 10,223 pallet spaces.

The automated small parts warehouse offers a capacity of 27,500 shelf spaces in five lanes.

A major extension was the construction of the automated small parts warehouse in 2004. In 2013, its efficiency was significantly increased by extensive modernization. Today it offers a capacity of 27,500 shelf spaces in five lanes and a throughput of 5,000 trays per day in an average of 15 hours of daily operation.

Intralogistics: intelligent scanning glove optimizes picking process

The implementation of the ProGlove scanning glove makes picking processes at the DB Schenker logistics center in Eching easier and more efficient.

logistik-aktuell.com

The high productivity and quality that characterize the automotive industry has also been ensured by the continuous introduction of technological innovations. Since 2014, our own semi-trailers, which are used for transport to and from the BMW Group headquarters in commuter traffic, are equipped with GPS tracking. And in 2017, DB Schenker was one of the first logistics companies to use the Wearable barcode scanner solutions ProGlove at the Eching site. The reliability and speed of the order picking process was sustainably increased.The Dedicated Warehouse Eching now provides, for example, around 50,000 m2 of storage space, 175 employees and a fleet of around 50 trailers for an extremely modern, efficient production supply for BMW.

Growing for the customer – Expansion of the location with new shared warehouses

Recently, cooperation with the BMW Group has been extended once again. In addition to the production supply of the main plant, DB Schenker was commissioned with further projects. These include, among other things, the supply of spare parts for test vehicles from BMW, including national and international shipping. And the production supply of pilot series in the BMW Group plant in Munich.

“Partnership for #automotive logistics. The @DBSchenker logistics center Eching offers a good example for the successful development of a logistics location in close coordination with the customer.“

Jürgen Muckermann: “Our knowledge of the customer BMW is of course a great advantage when setting up these new solutions. However, our resources in the supply center Eching are no longer sufficient for the implementation. That’s why we create tailor-made logistics space and services in new shared warehouses. We offer the customer the right portfolio for their current requirements. At the same time, we give him the security of being able to expand capacities flexibly. And last but not least, we are developing attractive new logistics space in sought-after top locations, which of course are also available to other customers from other industries. For BMW, for DB Schenker and for the economic region of Munich a real win-win-win situation! “

We interviewed you, the readers of logistik aktuell, about your interests and reading habits. How do you like our blog? Which topics are particularly relevant to you? When and where do you read the articles in logistik aktuell? Today we present the results of this survey. At this point, thank you again for your participation. We will use the survey results to further optimize our content for you.

“Thank you for your feedback. We present the results of the @logistikaktuell 2019 reader survey by @DBSchenker.“

Typical logistik aktuell readership

On average, our readership is particularly interested in the logistics disciplines of specialized transport and warehouse/contract logistics. Land transport and air freight land in the middle ground. In terms of trending topics, digitization/logistics 4.0 and the workplace of the future are right at the forefront of our readership’s preferences. The acceptance of DB Schenker Case Studies / Best Practice Examples is very high. Followed by reports on research.

How are they read? The vast majority of our readership receives logistik aktuell articles on PC. Namely during their working hours, once or several times a week. With that, the articles can even tend to be a little longer.

And if you’re not yet online with logistik aktuell, it’s very likely that readers of logistik aktuell are studying Logistik Heute. Because according to the results of our survey, that is the most widely read logistics magazine.

A picture is worth a thousand words? Images or representations often explain complicated issues better than extensive text and instructions.
Researchers at the University of Augsburg have taken advantage of this fact. With a project funded by the German government, they have developed icons that can help logisticians to train new employees.

For a long time there has been a lack of manpower in logistics. Especially the storage areas of small and medium-sized companies are poorly staffed. “This gap could be closed by migrants or low-skilled workers,” said Michael Krupp, Professor of the research group for optimized value added at the University of Augsburg.

Intralogistics: Warehouse work is fun - if the framework conditions are right

How to measure warehouse performance? How to maintain and increase the motivation of warehouse staff? These and other challenges have been addressed by a recently completed research project by the Fraunhofer SCS together with two universities. A final report summarizes the findings.

logistik-aktuell.com

Lack of language skills can jeopardize the quality of logistical processes

However, the training of new employees is often time-consuming due to language barriers. Not everyone has the necessary language skills. Migrants from the EU and other parts of the world find it difficult to speak German. There is still a high number of functional illiterates in Germany who can cope with everyday life but can read only to a limited extent.

“Lack of language skills and lack of written understanding can jeopardize the quality of logistical processes,” says Krupp. “Visualization provides an excellent way to understand complex processes.” Within two years, an interdisciplinary team of scientists at the University of Augsburg had been developing a universal visual language with pictograms. “That’s why we first identified the essential labor processes in the warehouse work that people with lower qualifications can do,” explains researcher Marjan Isakovic.

Modular compilation

The visual realization was carried out by Michael Stoll, Professor of Information Design, and Alexandra Kornacher of Augsburg University of Applied Sciences. Subsequently, the imagery was tested in practice. Partner here was the Fraunhofer Institute SCS in Nuremberg, which, for this purpose, worked together with companies and training institutions.

Potentially critical matters were subject of discussion. The pictograms, for instance, are very simplified: The logistics manager wears smocks and a clipboard under his arm, the workers are all male. “We discussed the gender question in detail and tested different pictograms: In the end, however, the image of the simple male was best understood,” says Krupp.

Now the first research results and parts of the imagery are available for free use. The visualizations of the processes can be put together modularly in order to display even complex processes in a simple way. The next step is digitization. In the future, the images will also be usable on tablets and smart phones. Still, it will take some time before the manager in the pictogram will exchange his clipboard for a tablet.

Logistics is relevant: In Germany alone, more than three million people are employed in this economic sector, and around 274 billion euros were transacted in 2018. Only the automotive industry and retailers can show stronger figures.And those two industries, in turn, wouldn’t work without logistics. Logistics is diverse: As a professional field, it combines a wide range of technical and commercial skills. From truckers to data scientists. And the whole thing usually has an international component. Actually a highly attractive mix.

Relevant, diverse, innovative – and yet consistently underestimated

Really! Because logistics is still underestimated. In contrast to the manufacturing industries, logistics often remains invisible. But it is precisely this lack of attention that Supply Chain Day, initiated and coordinated by the Federal Logistics Association (BVL), counteracts.

“Diverse, relevant, international. At @tagderlogistik 2019, 23,000 visitors discovered career opportunities in logistics. @DBSchenker was there with many offerings.“

About 270 companies and organizations opened their doors on 11 April 2019. They provided insights into otherwise invisible processes – providing positive awareness among the 23,000 or so visitors in Germany and 15 other countries. The offerings on this twelfth day of activities reflected the diversity of logistics and what logistics does not just for the economy but also for society. During company tours, technical presentations, planning games, career fairs and more, the participating companies from industry, trade and services, research and education institutions showed the true diversity of the logistics economic sector.

Supply Chain Day: Focus on career beginners

Training at DB Schenker: "A little bit of action" | logistik aktuell

A trainee and an experienced professional - both Augsburg office - talk about their careers and their prospects in logistics.

logistik-aktuell.com

Supply Chain Day reaches a wide range of target groups – from interested laypeople to logistics professionals. The focus is on students and career newcomers who want to get an idea of logistical job profiles and possible employers. In view of the current shortage of skilled workers, this is probably the most important aspect of Logistics Day for businesses. In Germany a total of around 1.6 million skilled workers are still needed, according to a survey by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Logistics is no exception – rather the opposite. In such a competitive situation, any opportunity for public visibility is an important opportunity to attract new employees.

DB Schenker with new event formats

DB Schenker also took advantage of the day’s opportunity and attracted numerous students to a total of 14 locations from Hamburg to Nuremberg and from Duisburg to Leipzig on Supply Chain Day 2019. For the first time, there were also activities for the target group of professional drivers. The spectrum was extremely diverse. During harbor tours, warehouse visits, multimedia presentations and activities, valuable discussions developed about work in logistics and career opportunities at DB Schenker.

On the road and at Frankfurt Air Freight Hub

There was a very special activity along the A3 motorway between Nuremberg and Würzburg. DB Schenker drove to rest stops and parking spaces with a team of four to say thank you to professional drivers for their daily work. The truckers were handed a small goodie bag with food and a giveaway. In total, more than 100 colorful “Here to Move” backpacks were distributed. Many conversations were held with the truckers on this occasion. These included the expectations of professional drivers for their employers.

logistik-aktuell.com

This Supply Chain Day campaign on the A3 exemplifies exactly what Christa Stienen, Chief Human Resources Officer at DB Schenker for the Deutschland/Switzerland cluster describes as a new challenge for HR and Recruitment in logistics: “We have to get to the target group in an affine and trustworthy way – this also applies to HR and recruiting. Because it depends on people feeling that we care about their situation and their way of living. And that it is honest! ‘

On this year’s LSupply Chain Day, the program at the DB Schenker Air Freight Hub in the Cargo City of Frankfurt Airport offered intensive exchanges with students. During a tour, visitors were introduced to the extensive processes involved in import and export. The topics of safety and sustainability in air freight were also discussed. After the guided tour, there was a presentation and a live demonstration on the use of Virtual Reality in training and how to train work processes in the warehouse. Internationality, diversity and digitization – these were also topics that were addressed in the discussions with and among the students as advantages of the logistics workplace.

Interested visitors at DB Schenker’s Frankfurt Air Freight Hub

So the industry has a lot to offer. Supply Chain Day brings this to life again and again. By the way, also in the coming year. The next Supply Chain Day will take place on April 16, 2020!

131 tonnes on the highway! Normally, the maximum weight for a truck on German roads is 40 tons. In Combined Transport it may be 44. And suddenly, there are 131 tons on a DB Schenker truck travelling 800 kilometers through the Republic! Of course with regulatory approval.

131 tonnes: cargo plus vehicle. It’s like stacking three trucks with the maximum allowed weight and splitting everything into 12 axles. No wonder that bridges had to be blocked so that this truck could cross them. “It does not make drivers happy when the stop signal from the police lights up right in front of their noses at night, because we claim the road for ourselves”, says Peter Geyer, Head of Special Transport, DB Schenker Munich. But most of them ultimately understand. Because we are not doing this just for fun. And after a few minutes – maybe 30 – the journey continues for everyone.

To the world’s largest construction machinery trade fair BAUMA

Heavy loads on the road have to overcome many bottlenecks. All a question of the right planning. Digitization has produced useful helpers.

logistik-aktuell.com

Every three years, the grounds around Messe München are transformed into a huge and well-planned construction site. It’s time for BAUMA. From April 8 to 14, 2019, the suppliers of construction, building and mining machines, construction vehicles and equipment will meet for their world’s largest industry event. The organizers are expecting roughly 600,000 visitors this time. In 2016, there were 585,000 from 219 countries.

This fair was the destination of this heavy transport. It started in Porta Westfalica (East Westphalia), where the Masa Group maintains a plant. The company, which specializes in machines for the building materials industry, exhibits concrete block production machines on a 740 square meter BAUMA stand. This includes a hermetic plate press, which DB Schenker delivered on 23 March on the spot. In the Westfalenland people call huge objects and men admiringly “Kawenzmann”. This 65 tons colossus is definitely one.

“A truck that cannot be overtaken”

The biggest challenge for transport did not come from the impressive overall weight. The length of almost 32 meters – at least 7 meters more above the long truck – presented the experienced driver not with major challenges. “The width of 4.75 meters was more problematic,” explains Mico Vrsajkovic (Head of Engineering, DB Schenker Munich). This is nearly twice as wide as a normal truck, which brings it to a maximum of 2.55 meters. Once in a while you hear on the radio of oversized heavy transports on the highway. In most cases with the addition: “That cannot be overtaken.” This was one of them. Especially with narrow motorway accesses you realize that almost 5 meters are quite a lot.

Mico Vrsajkovic, Head of Engineering, Munich, DB Schenker:

“We do not have a 4.75 meter wide heavy transport every day.”

For two nights, the vehicle combination of tractor and flatbed was on the way. With police escort. Authorities usually approve such transports only for the time between 22 pm and 6 am. Afterwards they clear the road, and the driver and the attendants take a break.

It became really tight when entering the exhibition hall. Because the gate is only 5 centimeters wider than the massive load of iron and steel. At the narrowest point you could fit just about a double CD right and left. Really tight. But the experienced driver knows this and can handle such tricky situations. This was followed by the unloading with a 220-ton crane and an 80-tonne crane in a tandem hub. Nothing for the faint-hearted. In the end, the cargo, trucks and all everybody involved survived the transport undamaged. “Somehow it’s all routine,” says Vrsajkovic. “But it’s exciting every time, because no heavy transport is like the other.” The jobs in general cargo are easier. Or more boring.

“# Bridge blocking due to heavy transport. It’s routine for the specialists at DB #Schenker. “

Professional truck driver. A job just for men? Nancy Polomsky demonstrates that in the environment of forklifts, pallets and rustic interjections, a woman can assert herself. She has succeeded at it for almost 2 decades. The mother of two already has 18 years in the saddle. For her, driving is a dream job.

Portrait of a woman trucker on German TV

The Institute of German Business has determined that in Germany in 2018 only 2 out of 100 truck drivers were female. But still: Nancy Polomsky confirms every day that women can manage in so-called male occupations. Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) has recently portrayed the professional truck driver in a four-minute TV feature. She works on behalf of the DB Schenker office in Magdeburg. Their dispatcher Tobias Rompf endorses her for the camera: “Very good, very reliable. One of the best.”

A few days after the broadcast of the MDR article, Nancy Polomsky answered our editor’s questions.

logistik aktuell: Ms. Polomsky, for 18 years you‘ve sat in the cab and asserted yourself in a man’s world. How is that?

Nancy Polomsky: I do not see it as anything special at all. In my circle of friends and acquaintances there are a few female drivers.

What does a typical work day look like for you?

I’m in short haul. At 6 o’clock in the morning I arrive at DB Schenker in Magdeburg. Then I drive my truck to the dock. After loading it goes to Wolfsburg. That’s almost 100 kilometers. There I have about 20 loading and unloading stations every day and then back to Magdeburg. By 3 o‘clock it‘s closing time.

So that means you don’t overnight at highway rest stops?

No, that’s only in long haul driving. As a professional short haul driver I have a regular daily routine.

The MDR movie about you starts with you not being seen, but your voice is heard. And it calls out loudly: “Hey, Lazy Sock!” Was that the real Nancy Polomsky or was it staged for television?

A systematic bustle in the hub | logistik aktuell

Lots going on at the Nuremberg Hub. Every day, DB Schenker loads around 2,600 tons of general cargo there for destinations in Germany and throughout Europe.

logistik-aktuell.com

That is very real. My foreman is called Lazy Sock. Actually Chief Lazy Sock. I announce myself to him every morning with that greeting. As a woman, you have to make yourself heard.

Do you have it easier or harder than your male colleagues?

You just have to push through and prove yourself time and time again. But that is no different for the men. The tone is sometimes rustic, but always friendly and collegial.

What do you like about your career?

On my rounds, I decide in which order I will approach the loading and unloading points. I am responsible and have direct contact with the customers every day. That is fun.

In the professional world the so-called platform problem is much discussed. Long waits, bad moods and so on. What are your experiences?

The frustration at the dock is limited for me. I’m not on the 40-tonner. With one or two pallets they sometimes even let me go ahead. Whether that’s because I’m a woman, I do not know. My coworker would say to that: You get dame dibs.

“#WomensWork, #MensWork. All nonsense! The question is what you want for yourself. Nancy Polomsky is a #WomanTrucker.“

Tell us something personal about Nancy Polomsky?

I don’t have any unusual hobbies. I like to cook and do really typical woman things. I do handicrafts, for example. I recently crocheted a pair of ornamental socks for my foreman. With the lettering “Lazy Socks”. Suitable to his name.

DB Schenker is becoming more and more electro-mobile. In March, the logistics service provider took over four brand new Fuso eCanter in Frankfurt am Main, in Stuttgart and in the French capital Paris. The electrically powered 7.5-tonner will now be used in the day-to-day business of the logistics company.
In doing so, DB Schenker is reacting to the transforming mobility in Europe. The logistics service provider has already gained some experience with electric trucks. “Our goal is to be able to bring goods into the inner cities even more sustainably and independently of driving bans in the future,” says Tristan Keusgen, Head of European Fleet Management DB Schenker. “So far we have gained valuable experience with the FUSO eCanter – it is very well suited to serve our customers in major cities such as Paris and Frankfurt.”

In Berlin, for example, the company has been using e-trucks for some time – including an eCanter – and testing their use in mixed fleets.
DB Schenker is now planning around four tours for two eCanter in France with 10 to 12 stops per day in the Greater Paris area. In the Stuttgart area, an eCanter is also on the road supplying customers emission-free and whisper-quiet in inner-city areas.

A 100 kilometer range for the city

Similarly in Frankfurt am Main: The Frankfurt office for land transport registers more than 3000 shipments in the entrance and exit. 260 employees ensure that the location in the east of the city hardly ever rests. Around 100 trucks of all sizes will be used – and now at the beginning of the e-mobile age, an eCanter.

With a range of 100 kilometers, this is a true electric workhorse. It consumes 66 kilowatts, and the vehicle can take up to 3.5 tons of payload – an increase in load compared to diesel vehicles. Overnight charging – depending on availability with AC or DC chargers. With a fast charger, the charging time can be reduced to around one and a half hours.

First series production of a fully electric truck

The Daimler subsidiary Fuso is the first global manufacturer to mass-produce a fully electric truck. The eCanter have been manufactured in Portugal and in Japan since 2017. “In Europe alone, we will be using around 100 eCanter by the end of the year,” emphasizes Harald Schmid, Fuso sales manager for Europe and the USA. As a result, the company has an enormous amount of data to further develop the vehicles and adapt them to the requirements of the customers. “We look forward to cooperating more intensively with DB Schenker on the electrification of inner-city distribution traffic in the future. The positive feedback on operation so far makes us proud – and is also an incentive to further improve the FUSO eCanter,” says Schmid.

“Sustainable logistics: In Paris, Frankfurt and Stuttgart #DBSchenker uses electric trucks for the first time, four #Fuso #eCanter“

Driver Stefan Dieme from the Frankfurt office has long made friends with the vehicle. He raves about the quiet in the cockpit, its maneuverability and the great pull-through as you accelerate. “The torque is immediately there!” says Dieme enthusiastically. For many years he has driven a classic 40-tonner. His diesel is loud but he does not miss it.